Automatically variable alarm for timepiece



April 18, 1961 R. P. JACCARD 2,979,885

AUTOMATICALLY VARIABLE ALARM FOR TIMEPIECE Filed Dec. 26, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR RENE PHILIPPE JACCA R0 A TTORNEY.

April 18, 1961 R. P. JACCARD 2,979,885

AUTOMATICALLY VARIABLE ALARM FOR TIMEPIECE Filed Dec. 26, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mum ll! INVENTOR RENE PHILIPPE JAGGARD A TTORNEK r 2,979,885 Patented Apr. 18, 1961 AUTOMATICALLY VARIABLE ALARM FOR TIMEPIECE Ren Philippe Jaccard, Geneva, Switzerland, assignor to Samuel Jack Kaufman, New York, N.Y.

Filed Dec. 26, 1956, Ser. No. 630,565

Claims priority, application Switzerland Jan. 21, 1956 4 Claims. (Cl. 5821.12)

1 My invention has for its object an alarm time-keeper the bell of which, when released, operates intermittently at least during the first stage of its operation.

According to my invention, there is provided an intermittently acting locking device for the alarm system, which device includes a locking member constituted by a fork with two tines and a shank adapted to'pivot round the same axis as the bell hammer, a locking rod pivotally secured at one end to the shank of the fork and passing through on opening formed in a section of the hammer,

two cams angularly rigid with the escape wheel of the alarm gear and cooperating respectively with the two tines of the fork and lastly a starshaped pinion keyed to the spindle of a movement wheel. The whole arrangement is' designed in a manner such that for a predetermined relative angular setting of the two earns, the normally free rocking end of the locking rod may impinge against the side of a tooth of the star-shaped pinion so as to lock the hammer of the alarm system up to the moment at which the pinion has moved through a predetermined angle and the tooth surface engaged by the locking rod moves away from the latter. The locking rod and the hammer of the alarm system are thus released and the hammer begins operating again and allows the two cams to resume their rotation; the relative arrangement of the locking rod and of the star-shaped pinion is such that the momentum with reference to the pinion axis of the force exerted by said rod on the latter has the same direction as the rotation of the pinion.

I have illustrated by way of example in accompanying drawings two preferred embodiments of an alarm clock according to my invention. In said drawings:

Figs. 1 to 3 illustrate the first embodiment; Fig. 1 is a plan view from underneath showing the different parts of the clock movement, the clock case being assumed to be cut through; Fig. 2 is a sectional view through line II-II of Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 is a perspective viewof the intermittently operated hammer locking arrangement.

Figs. 4 to 7 illustrate the second embodiment; Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1, Fig. 5 is an elevational view seen in the direction of the arrow A; Fig. 6 is an elevational view seen in the direction of the arrow B, Fig. 7 is a view of a detail shown sectionally along line VilVll of Fig. 4.

Turning to Figs. 1 to 3, the first embodiment illustrated includes a single barrel 1 provided with two coaxial driving wheels 1A and 1B driven into opposite directions. The wheel 1A meshes with a pinion 42 driving the second wheel 2 through the agency of the conventional gearing 42', while thewheel 1B meshes with the pinion 48 coaxially rigid with the wheel 4, which latter drives the escape wheel 3 of the alarm gear.

The hammer 5 of the alarm system which is secured to the stud 40 adapted to rotate round a spindle A in Fig. 3

cooperates in a conventional manner through its pallets 7,. with the alarm escape wheel 3.

p The intermittent locking device for the alarm clock includes a locking member 8 adapted to pivot round the same axis of spindle A as the alarm bell hammer. Said locking member 8 which is rigid with a sleeve 6 freely revolvable round the spindle A is in the shape of a fork including two tines 9 and 10 extending in two parallel planes. The. time 10 extends in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the spindle A and is offset in a direction parallel to said axis with reference to the plane also perpendicular to said axis in which the other tine extends together with the shank-carrying tines. Said tines 9 and 10 cooperate respectively with two earns 12 and 13 which are rigidly secured to the spindle carrying the escape wheel 3. The operative surfaces of said cams are cylindrical surfaces which are interrupted respectively by a nose or boss 13' and by a notch 12', the relative angular setting of which corresponds with the angular setting of the fork tines.

The locking device also includes a locking rod 14 pivotally secured at B (Fig. 3) to the shank 11 of the locking fork 8 and operatively connected with the bell hammer through the agency of a small plate 15 rigid with the hammer and provided with a perforation 16 through which the rod 14 extends freely.

A pinion 17 with five teeth in star formation revolves in unison with the seconds wheel 2 and is adapted to cooperate with the rod 14 as will be disclosed hereinafter.

The operation of said locking device is as follows: when the alarm system has been released in a conventional manner, the escape wheel 3 and the two earns 12 and 13 begin rotating and the tines 9 and 10 of the fork S slide over the cylindrical surfaces of said cams. The fork 3 remains thus stationary. The hammer S rocks under the action of the escape wheel 3 round its piovtal axis A and the rod 14 driven by the hammer 5 sliding with reference to the rocking hammer rocks on the other hand round the axis B which remains stationary. The free end of said rod 14 describes thus the arc of a circle shown in dot-anddash lines at C in Fig. l as a consequence of the rocking movement of the hammer 5 together with the plate 15 engaging the rod 14. A

At the moment at which the cams 12 and 13 have revolved through a predetermined angle and engage respectively the tines 9 and 10 through the above mentioned notch and nose or boss 13' respectively, the fork 8 rocks round the axis A. This rocking movement has for its result in association with the rocking movement of the rod 14 a shifting of the free end of the said rod in a direction substantially perpendicular to its path C and this shifting continues until said free end meets the lateral surface of one of the teeth on the pinion 17. This abutment of the end of the rod 14 stops the oscillating movement of the hammer and consequently prevents further operation of the alarm.

The rod 14 has henceforward a tendency to revolve clockwise round the same axis A as the hammer 5 along a modified path drawn in Fig. l in dot-and-dash lines and designated by D. As the direction of the momentum of the force exerted by the rod 14 on the pinion 17 is the same as that of the rotation of the pinion 17, the result is that the rotation of the latter is not disturbed through engagement by the rod 14. When said pinion has revolved by an angle sufficient for a tooth engaged by the end of the rod 14 to recede away from the latter, said rod is released and therewith the hammer so that the oscillating movements of the hammer and of the rod are resumed.

During the first half period of this oscillating movement of the hammer, the star-shaped pinion 17 urges the rod 14 in the longitudinal direction designated by the arrow 41 (Fig. l), which causes the locking member 8 to rotate counterclockwise round the spindlevA, whereupon the tine 9is shifted out of the notch 12; thus, the tines 9 and 10 of the fork are automatically released during the first half period of said oscillating movement of the hammer. Con

. 3 sequently, if the rocking of and the cycle of operation which has just been described is repeated as long as a second arrangement which is intended to prevent operation of the above. described intermittent bell locking device has not become operative.

The second arrangement includes a lever 18 with two arms of which one 19 is adapted to raise the cams 12 and 13 (Fig. 2) which are adapted to slide in a direction parallel with their axis while the other lever arm 20 in the shape of a fork is controlled through the end 21 of a second lever 22 (Fig. 1). The latter which is pivotally secured through one end to the pivot-23 is urged by a spring 24 against a cam 25 angularly rigid with a wheel p2 adapted to stop the barrel winding means. During the alarm winding stage, the pinion p1 coaxially rigid with the spindle of barrel 1 rotates in a clockwise direction, i.e. in the direction of the arrow F, whereupon the pinion p2 is disengaged from the pinion p1, by reason of the smooth peripheral sector h of the pinion p2 coming into registry with the pinion p1. When the bell starts ringing, the pinion p1 moves rearwardly, i.e. counterclockwise, in the direction of the dotted arrow G, whereby the pinion p2 and the cam 25 are driven clockwise. A spring 50 engages the pin 51 on the pinion p2, so as to ensure an accurate engagement between the pinions p1 and p2. Said cam 25 has an outline such that during a predetermined period the lever 18 remains in the position illustrated without disturbing the operation of the intermittent locking device. Then, during a second phase, the cam 25 shifts the lever 22 against the action of its spring 24, which constrains the lever 22 to rock round its pivot and this produces in its turn through the agency of the lever 18 a rising of the cams 12 and 13. The cams while remaining angularly rigid with the escape wheel 3 by reason of the presence of the pins 26 and 27 are brought through this axial shifting out of engagement with the tines 9 and precedingly engaged by them and this has for its consequence inoperativeness of the intermittent locking device.

It is thus apparent from the automatic operation of the two elementary devices which have just been described that, during the first stage of its operation, the bell operates intermittently and that during the second stage it operates in a continuous manner.

The second embodiment of a time-keeper incorporating my invention is illustrated in Figs. 4 to 7.

The chief difference between the two embodiments consists chiefly in the execution of the continuously operating alarm system.

As a matter of fact, some of the parts of the first embodiment designated by the reference numbers 1 to 17 are shown again with the same reference numbers in Figs. 4-7. Only the parts 8-9-10, 12-13 and 1920 are slightly difierent from the corresponding parts of the first described time-keeper. These parts have been renumbered S9'10', 12"1-3 and 19'20'. The differences are due to the fact that:

The fork 8 is adapted to slide axially along its pivotal axis A.

The two cams 12 and 13 are stationary with reference to the spindle Z to which they are keyed so that they cannot be shifted axially.

The means for producing a continuous ringing of the bell include in said second embodiment and as precedingly a lever 18 with two arms 19 and 20. In the modification illustrated, the lever 18 is adapted to pivot with reference to a support secured to the upper plate S and has one arm 19 fitted between the two tines 9 and 10 of the fork 8 while its other arm 20 extends through the plate S and is held between the two tines 31 and 32 of the forked shank 33 of a second lever 34 pivotally secured to a pivot 35.

Said lever 34 has a second arm 36 terminating with a nose 37 while its forked shank 33 carries also a projection 38 urged together with the nose 37 againt a cylindrical cam 39 rotating in unison with the wheel adapted to stop the barrel winding means.

the rod begins starting again" The cam 39 the operative surface of which includes two half-cylinders of different diameters produces when it has executed one half revolution a rotation of the lever 34 which produces in its turn through the agency of its forked shank 33 a rocking of the lever 18 which provides in its turn for a lowering of the fork 8. The cams 12 and 13 are located at a sufiiciently high level for them to remain in engagement with the tines 9 and 10 of the fork 8 during the sinking movement of the latter (Fig. 7). On the other hand, the sinking movement of the fork 8 produces a rocking of the locking rod 14 pivotally secured thereto round the point P of the plate 15 rigid with the hammer (Fig. 6), which has for its consequence a rising of the free end of the rod 14 whereby said free end is no longer engageable by the teeth on the pinion 17.

The intermittent alarm locking arrangement continues operating partly when the rod 14 has rocked, i.e. the end of said rod continues describing in succession the paths C and D (Fig. 4), but this has no practical result since the plane in which said paths are drawn no longer passes through the star-shaped pinion 17.

In the different Figures 4 to 7 illustrating the second embodiment of my invention, the position of the locking rod 14, of the fork 8, of the levers 18 and 34 and of the cam 39 corresponds to the steady continuous operation of the alarm device.

What I claim is:

1. An alarm time-keeper comprising an alarm system including a train of wheels, an escape wheel extending in parallelism with the wheels of said train and controlled by the latter, a rocking hammer driven by said escape wheel and a pivot for said hammer parallel with the axis of said escape wheel, a barrel driving the train of wheels of the alarm system, a fork including a shank and tines and adapted to rock round the same pivot as the hammer to occupy selectively a first or second angular position, a locking rod pivotally secured to the shank of the fork and adapted to rock with reference thereto, a guiding member rigid with the hammer and provided with a perforation in which the locking rod is slidingly carried, a clockwork gearing controlled by the barrel and including a number of wheels, a star-shaped pinion coaxially rigid with one of the wheels of said clockwork gearing and adapted to be engaged by the outer end of the locking rod at one end of the rocking path thereof when said fork is in the first angular position, the engagement of said locking rod with said star-shaped pinion preventing further operation of the hammer, the locking rod being out of engagement with said pinion when said fork is in the second angular position, a cam system rotating in unison with the escape wheel of the alarm system and including a boss adapted to urge the tines of the fork out of the position corresponding to the second position of the fork and to make the latter enter its first position in which it urges the locking rod into the path in which the outer end of said locking rod is adapted to impinge against the star-shaped pinion, the rotation of the starshaped pinion away from the locking rod in the direction of the torque produced by the latter releases said locking rod and consequently the hammer to allow continuation of the operation of the alarm system and of the rotation of the cam system returning the fork into its first mentioned position.

2. An alarm time-keeper comprising an alarm system including a train of wheels, an escape wheel extending in parallelism with the wheels of said train and controlled by the latter, a rocking hammer driven by said escape 'wheel and a pivot for said hammer parallel with the axis perforation in which the locking rod is slidingly carried, a clockwork gearing controlled by the barrel and including a number of wheels, a star-shaped pinion coaxially rigid with one of the wheels of said clockwork gearing and adapted to be engaged by the outer end of the locking rod at one end of the rocking path thereof when said fork is in the first angular position, the engagement of said locking rod with said star-shaped pinion preventing further operation of the hammer, the locking rod being out of engagement with said pinion when said fork is in the second angular position, a cam system rotating in unison with the escape wheel of the alarm system and including a boss adapted to urge the tines of the fork out of the position corresponding to the second position of the fork and to make the latter enter its first position in which it urges the locking rod into the path in which the outer end of said locking rod is adapted to impinge against the star-shaped pinion, the rotation of the starshaped pinion away from the locking rod in the direction of the torque produced by the latter releases said locking rod and consequently the hammer to allow continuation of the operation of the alarm system and of the rotation of the cam system returning the fork into its first mentioned position, and means controlled by the alarm system and preventing cooperation between the locking rod and the star-shaped pinion after a predetermined duration of operation of the alarm system.

3. An alarm time-keeper comprising an alarm system including a train of wheels, an escape wheel extending in parallelism with the wheels of said train and controlled by the latter, a rocking hammer driven by said escape wheel and a pivot for said hammer parallel with the axis of said escape wheel, a barrel driving the train of wheels of the alarm system, a fork including a shank and tines and adapted to rock round the same pivot as the hammer to occupy selectively a first or second angular position, a locking rod pivotally secured to the shank of the fork and adapted to rock with reference thereto, a guiding member rigid with the hammer and provided with a perforation in which the locking rod is slidingly carried, a clockwork gearing controlled by the barrel and including a number of wheels, a star-shaped pinion coaxially rigid with one of the wheels of said clockwork gearing and adapted to be engaged by the outer end of the locking rod at one end of the rocking path thereof when said fork is in the first angular position, the engagement of said locking rod with said star-shaped pinion preventing further operation of the hammer, the locking rod being out of engagement with said pinion when said fork is in the second angular position, a cam system rotating in unison with the escape wheel of the alarm system and including a boss adapted to urge the tines of the fork out of the position corresponding to the second position of the fork and to make the latter enter its first position in which it urges the locking rod into the path inwhich the outer end of said locking rod is adapted to impinge against the star-shaped position, the rotation of the star-shaped pinion away from the locking rod in the direction of the torque produced by the latter releases said locking rod and consequently the hammer to allow continuation of the 6 v operation of the alarm system and of the rotation of the cam system returning the fork into its first mentioned position, said cam system being adapted to slide in a direction parallel with its axis of rotation, an auxiliary rotary cam controlled by the alarm system and adapted to shift the cam system bodily away from the path of the tines of the fork to prevent further interruption of the hammer of the alarm system.

4. An alarm time-keeper comprising an alarm system including a train of wheels, an escape wheel extending in parallelism with the wheels of said train and controlled by the latter, a rocking hammer driven by said escape wheel and a pivot for said hammer parallel with the axis of said escape wheel, a barrel driving the train of wheels of the alarm system, a fork including a shank and tines and adapted to rock round the same pivot as the hammer to occupy selectively a first or second angular position, a locking rod pivotally secured to the shank of the fork and adapted to rock with reference thereto, a guiding member rigid with the hammer and provided with a perforation in which the locking rod is slidingly carried, a clockwork gearing controlled by the barrel and including a number of wheels, a star-shaped pinion coaxially rigid with one of the wheels of said clockwork gearing and adapted to be engaged by the outer end of the locking rod at one end of the rocking path thereof when said fork is in the first angular position, the engagement of said locking rod with said star-shaped pinion preventing further operating of the hammer, the locking rod being out of engagement with said pinion when said fork is in the second angular position, a cam system rotating in unison with the escape wheelof the alarm system and including a boss adapted to urge the tines of the fork out of the position corresponding to the second position of the fork and to make the latter enter its first position in which it urges the locking rod into the path in which the outer end of said locking rod is adapted to impinge against the star-shaped pinion, the rotation of the starshaped pinion away from the locking rod in the direction of the torque produced by the latter releases said locking rod and consequently the hammer to allow continuation of the operation of the alarm system and of the rotation of the cam system returning the fork into its first mentioned position, a carrier spindle for the fork over which said fork is adapted to slide along a line perpendicular to the planes of the escape wheels, an auxiliary rotary cam controlled by the alarm system, means whereby the rotation of said cam controls the axial position of the fork, the shifting of said fork moving, after a predetermined duration of operation of the alarm system, the outer end of the locking rod out of the plane of the star-shaped pinion to prevent any impact between said outer end and said star-shaped pinion.

FOREIGN PATENTS Switzerland Apr. 16, 1953 

